Visita Iglesia in Pampanga

Maundy Thursday Mom and I together with our helper Ate Dor and our baby boy Yankee set off to Pampanga for Visita Iglesia. It's a Filipino tradition every Maundy Thursday to visit 7 churches to either do the Stations of the Cross or just pray inside the churches. It's so cool to go to Pampanga for a religious thing, the last time I was in Pampanga was in Angeles for the Hot Air Balloon Festival on Valentine's Day.

It's our first time to do this for Holy Week, so we were all quite excited. The day before, Mom and I panic bought food we could bring for the trip. The downside to this was, I didn't prepare for it. We spent most of the time asking the locals for the nearest church. Funny cos most of them don't even know the names of their churches and where they are exactly in their town.

Here are the 7 churches in Pampanga we visited. For next year's Lenten Season you guys might want to put these churches on your list. A lot of the churches we went to where beautiful! And a note to foreign readers, you guys might be thinking why the altar and the statues are all covered in either white or purple cloth. It's also a Filipino tradition to cover it up during Holy Week as a sign of mourning for the Lord's death. I know, this is what makes the Philippines a culturally rich and religious country, and we're proud of it! :)

HOLY CROSS PARISH, LUBAO
This is a small parish in the town of Lubao. We were sort of disappointed with this Church because we were distracted by the kids playing inside. Plus they were cleaning up for the upcoming activities, so it was abuzz with people cleaning.



LUBAO PARISH CHURCH, LUBAO
The first old Church we visited. Constructed by Agustinian priest, Fr. Antonio Herrera in 1614, it was completed in 1630. Used as a hospital by Americans in 1899, it was completely destroyed by the Japanese in 1942. From 1949-1952, Fr. Melencio Garcia oversaw the re-construction.




IMMACULATE CONCEPTION PARISH, GUAGUA
We saw the Church's dome from afar, that's how big it was. I really loved this Church, but the sad thing was, as we were on our way out, we saw a family of Aetas (a tribal group found in many parts of the Philippines) and the sad thing was they let this girl defecate right there. I know, gross! It was so disrespectful! Maybe the local authorities of GuaGua should do something about this!




STA. LUCIA PARISH, SASMUAN
Right beside GuaGua is the town of Sasmuan, formerly Sexmoan. The Church is found in a really lazy, sleepy barangay and only quite a few people came to visit this Church. This was by far, our favorite Church. Just look at the interior, it was so pretty! I also loved the dome in the center, it looked like the one in GuaGua, but since the ceiling was lower, it really illuminated the entire Church. It was peaceful, too, so we were able to pray without any distractions.






SAN GUILLERMO PARISH, BACOLOR
You could also see the dome from the National Highway, so you really won't have a hard time finding it. Also built by Agustinian friars, this Church has got more historical drama compared to the other Churches we visited. In 1995, 4 years after Mt. Pinatubo's massive and destructive eruption, the Church was almost completely buried by lahar flow. Kudos to those who dedicated a lot of time and effort to salvage the Church, it was beautiful and it would've been a completely loss if it weren't dug out of the lahar.





SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL, SAN FERNANDO
The biggest Church we visited, San Fernando Cathedral was also packed with people. We weren't able to pray the rosary here anymore as the Washing of the Feet was about to start. It's also a Filipino custom to re-enact Jesus washing the feet of his disciples every Maundy Thursday. And outside, we saw a penitent genuflect at the Cathedral's door. A group of foreigners were also there to document our tradition during the Holy Week. I think it amazes them how firm our beliefs are.



OUR LADY OF SORROWS, SAN FERNANDO
The last Church on our journey, this is most modern looking Church we visited. Also packed with people for the Washing of the Feet, we didn't stay long. Plus the Mass was in Capampangan so we just left.


We were pooped after our road trip. Too bad we weren't able to have a Capampangan food trip, most of the restaurants, save some fast food, were closed. We would definitely do this again next year! And maybe, we'll do it somewhere in Laguna. Visita Iglesia is a fun thing to do with the family. They have a saying here, "The family that prays together, stays together". And doing the Visita Iglesia would totally make any family bond. Plus you also get closer to God! :)

I also feel bad we weren't able to visit other Churches in Pampanga. It was a bit hard to navigate, and the asking around for directions took up a lot of time. Next year, I promise I'll be more prepared than this!

Exotic Foodie Finds at Everybody's Cafe

Exotic is the word to describe our dinner over at Everybody's Cafe at San Fernando, Pampanga last Saturday. We were choosing between eating in Baliuag Chicken that made Baliuag in Bulacan famous and some other unknown restaurant to try along that long stretch. But Amanda and Mike suggested we go over to San Fernando because their friend has already eaten at Everybody's Cafe..and a lot of people were "raving" about it.

We were all starved after that more than 2-hour walk along the Candaba Wetlands Bird Sanctuary, so we were psyched to eat. Trency had started research on the restaurant and told us about the exotic food finds...it made us more excited.

We were all expecting a real restaurant set-up, but it looked more like a home than an actual food joint. It had a nice garden outside and nice little gate, it made you feel very welcome. And it was turo-turo (literally translated to point-point), there's this huge food display and you just point at the food you want to the ordertaker. Plain and simple, no frills at all.

But as usual, since I'm with the BFFs, we ordered a huge feast! If you guys are frequent readers of my blog, you'd know how we could over-order and over-eat!

Here's a breakdown of that huge meal on that long table. We had to transfer to a longer table because we couldn't fit the food in a table meant for 4 people! Oh and what's sweet is that they give you piping hot Bulalo soup. Oh memories of Tagaytay! This was really good since we were so hungry and we slurped on it to warm our growling tummies.

First on the list is Pako Salad.

Trency ordered this because she wanted some greens to get something healthy on our carnivorous meal. It had pako leaves, salted, onions and a light dressing.

Next is Camaron.

Seriously I had no idea what this was. Mike ordered this, but it was really good. It reminds me of an embotido, a dish my family prepares every Christmas. I liked this one! Yummy! :)

I ordered something "safe" and something my taste buds actually KNOW: Kalderetang Baka.

This was SO GOOD! Amanda and I had a good time eating this one. It was spicy (I've been craving for something spicy lately), the meat was tender and juicy and has absorbed the sauce making it really tasty! One of the best kalderetas I have tasted OUTSIDE of my home! Recommended! :)

Another safe order: Pusit (Squid).

Just like the kaldereta, this was really good! The squid was soft and they were able to make it tasty by stuffing the squid with tomatoes. Although it would've bee better if it were a bit spicy.

A major flop in our meal: TAPA

One bite of this thing, I had to spit it out. I know tapa is supposed to be a bit sweet, but this is way-over-the-top sweet. *gag sound*

So now I let you guys in on our "safe" foods. Let's move on to the exotic ones. I wasn't able to take a picture of it, but Mike and Trency ordered FROG STUFFED WITH GROUND MEAT! Mike was the only one who had the guts (and the stomach) to eat that thing. He said it was good, prolly was cos he finished the entire frog. *eeewww*

Since we're talking about frogs already, we also ordered frog legs.

I've eaten this before when I was in college. Our ROTC officers and I went to Binondo (our Chinatown) and our head that time was Chinese. So he ordered this for us. And it's actually pretty good. Tastes like CHICKEN...even better!


Last but not the least on "gross fest" CRICKETS!

Sorry Amanda and I weren't able to eat this. We chickened out (haha). Here's how problematic one can get when about to pop this thing in your mouth.

It's Trency who was so psyched in ordering this when we were still on our way. But now that it was right in front of her, she had huge problems with it. But still, she was able to pop a couple in her mouth. Mike and Trency said it was crunchy and juicy. Not trying this one!!

Our overall review of the place: Well with all the good things we heard about it, it just seemed so blah. Nothing great. Although I'd have to say that their kalderata was REALLY good, but besides that, I'm not really gonna travel all the way to San Fernando just to eat here. The prices are also a bit on the expensive side, take a look at our bill.

But this restaurant is one for the adventurous eaters out there. The frogs and crickets, come on! You gotta have guts made of steel to actual down this! It was fun to watch Mike and Trency though! :)

Directions on how to get to Everybody's Cafe:
1. From NLEX exit at San Fernando. You won't get lost, when you see Robinson's on the right that's the sign that the exit is NEAR!
2. Turn right towards SUBIC. Just go straight until you see a huge flyover.
3. Go UNDER the flyover and turn left (that's McArthur Highway) and just go straight until you see a rotunda.
4. Go around the rotunda so you can make a LEFT. And within a few meters from the rotunda is the restaurant.

Everybody's Cafe
Brgy. del Pilar, McArthur Highway
San Fernando, Pampanga
Tel. Nos. (045) 860-1121 and (045) 9617121

Bird Watching @ Candaba Wetlands

Sorry for the absence, it's been pretty crazy here at work. Projects came and went last week so there really wasn't any time left for blogging. So anyway, let me tell you guys how my Saturday turned out.

THE BFF's and I all went to Candaba, Pampanga for the Ibon-Ebun Festival. Trency texted us a week ago about the festivities, I think she wanted us to go cultural this time because the last time we all went out-of-town was to go beach bumming for my birthday and to follow our craving for bulalo.

We were supposed to go really early in the morning so we could see the street dancing and other celebrations for the festival. Unfortunately, Trency's midterm was pushed to Saturday at 11.30AM. Leaving us with no choice but to leave at around 1PM.

The trip was relatively easy, since I made sure we already had directions on how to get there. The only thing was that the roads were all just one lane on both directions. And since this was provincial Philippines, tricycles made the trip SLOWER. It was frustrating to drive, there was hardly any chance to overtake! So just a tip for those who plan on driving to Candaba, BE PREPARED FOR THIS! It can be a real test of patience.

Finding the Bird Sanctuary isn't hard, just follow the signs just like this one. Or don't be afraid to ask the locals. It's a popular place, so they know it very well.


When we got to the Bird Sanctuary, we were welcomed by tour guides who told us we were late for the festivities. Since it was late in the afternoon (it was 4PM when we got there) he wasn't sure if we'd be able to see the birds flying around the swamp. So we just took a chance and went for it. We paid P150 each for the tour and you get to use their binoculars.

Talking to our tour guide, Kuya John Joseph, we found out that the 72-hectare Bird Sanctuary is owned by Candaba's mayor, Jerry Pelayo. He said it used to be a fish farm, but when the birds started coming in, he transformed it into a sanctuary where bird enthusiasts can come and take a look at the birds. As of now, there are 56 different kinds of bird species that come to Candaba. He says that birds start coming in late November, and stay around until late February.

The Mayor is also very strict, no one can shoot birds and no one can capture birds to sell in Manila or to take home as pets. Kuya John Joseph told us there were people who captured birds stuffed them in cages and were already on their way to Manila. Fortunately they got caught and the birds were set free.

We started our walk around the 72-hectares. It was a nice walk since it wasn't too sunny and there was a constant light breeze. We stopped once in a while to take a look at the birds through our binoculars. Since we had puny cameras, we weren't able to take shots of the birds flying all over the swamp. But they were BEAUTIFUL!! It wasn't my first time to go bird watching, had a chance at Villa Escudero over at Tiaong, Quezon. And I must say, it takes a lot of patience, a lot of walking around, and super bionic eyes to spot the birds. To the untrained eye, the birds all looked the same.

Since we couldn't take pictures of the birds, I just took shots of us walking around and of the place. The swamp was actually beautiful and so full of life. It was a perfect day for bird watching AND PHOTOGRAPHY, so we were all very lucky!




Oh and by the way, you guys see those bamboo "walls"? Kuya John Joseph said that it used to enclose the whole area and photographers would set-up their equipment through those "windows". But typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, destroyed most of the walls. So when they were about to put the walls back up, someone suggested not to rebuild it because the birds might feel enclosed and trapped. The open space makes them feel more free to roam around the area.

At the end of an almost 2-hour walkathon around the swamp, we were able to see about 10 or so bird species. Some of the species we saw were a Kingfisher, Terns, Egrets, Common Moorhen, purple and gray Herons, Bitterns, and the very rare Black Bittern. It was so cool! :)

Try bird watching with your friends. I didn't really expect to enjoy it, but when you're with the BFFs...it's just so hard not to have fun while at it!



Here are directions to get to the Candaba Wetlands Bird Sanctuary:
1. Go to NLEX and exit at PULILAN. Just to remind you guys that the roads are narrow so be careful!
2. When you see a Jollibee and a Robinson's Supermarket, make a left at the intersection. That goes to Baliuag, Bulacan. You'll pass by SM City Baliuag.
3. Just go straight on that road, you'll see a flyover. Go UNDER the flyover and make a LEFT. Just go straight and after a while you see the arch that says PAMPANGA.
4. Just go straight towards Candaba, and watch out for BARANGAY BAGONG PARI. When you the a short bridge and a basketball court at the left side, turn RIGHT at the corner. It's right after that small bridge. Afterwards you'll start seeing the signs that will lead you to the Bird Sanctuary.

If getting lost, you may also contact John at 0917-4397650. The staff of the Bird Sanctuary are all very accommodating and super friendly, so do not hesitate to give them a call.